FAQs about HIPAA

From:

Lee & Peggy Wenk

Thought this might be of interest to some people:
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) on HIPAA
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FAQs Lay Out ABCs of HIPAA
WASHINGTON (Hospital Compliance Wire) Can you charge patients for
copies of their medical records? Should you get the plumber to sign a
business associate contract? Is the Health Insurance Portability and
Accountability Act privacy rule going to eliminate that handy plastic
box outside the exam room where you stash medical charts during a
patient's visit?
The answers to these and many other privacy rule questions are now
available thanks to a new frequently asked questions Web page posted
Oct. 8 by the HHS Office for Civil Rights.
With the final HIPAA privacy rule just six months away from
enforcement, OCR has answered a throng of public inquiries by releasing
nearly two dozen questions and responses on a range of practical issues
covered entities face, including:
* what covered entities can charge patients for copies of their medical
records,
* the application of the rule to genetic information;
* how the rule affects commonplace physician office practices such as
calling out patients' names in waiting rooms or using sign-in
sheets;
* the effect of the business associate provisions on outside workers
such as plumbers, electricians or photocopy repairers; and
* issues connected with information disposal.
OCR promises updates to the FAQs along with more substantive guidance
on significant HIPAA privacy issues in the near future.
To see the FAQ, go to http://www.hhs.gov/ocr/faqs1001.doc